IN the 1880s critics scoffed at Georges Signac’s work as “pointillism”. But his neo-impressionist style changed the direction of modern art and was copied by the likes of Vincent Van Gogh.

The technique consists of building up small dots to create an image, a technique relying on the eye and mind’s ability to “read” them as a complete picture: funnily enough, it was a precursor of digital imagery, which consists of millions of pixels.

Pointillism is something Garry Boase has grown into over his many years as an artist, starting off as a student at the Claremont Technical College in the 1970s.

“[Mine] is unconventional pointillism, which traditionally uses red, blue and yellow,” he says. He likes to use all colours of the spectrum and employs bolder dots than his famous predecessors to create canvases that at first startle, but then enchant.

His latest exhibition Garry Boase Perth Places People is of locations around Perth and Fremantle, with images of London Court and UWA’s Winthrop Hall, along with Leighton Beach, school kids in Fremantle’s annual street parade, and a trio of musicians playing in a Fremantle cafe.

The ”cultural cringe” of his earlier years has been replaced by pride in what WA has to offer, something he’s keen to impart.

“I wanted people to be excited about our own city,” Boase says.

Perth Places People is on at the Moores Building, Henry Street, Fremantle until June 1.

by JENNY D’ANGER